Machine for forming ball-shaped or spherical bodies.



lo. 694,330. Pafnted Feb. 25, i902.'

IGHINE FOR FURMING BALL SHAPED 0B SPHEBICL" BDIES. (Appumion n'mrly 1o. 1901.1

` (lo lModel.)

AUGHNEYS:

UNrrED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

SOLOMON SMITH, OF RAVENNA, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO JOHN J. LIGHTOAP AND JOHN E.- ALBRIGHT, OF RAVENNA, OHIO.

MACHINE FOR FORMING BALL-SHAPED OR SPHERICAL BODIES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 694,330, dated February 25, 1902. Application filed May l0, 190i.. Serial No. 59,677. (No model) To all whom z'ft may concern.-

Be it known that I, SOLOMON SMITH, a resident of Ravenna, in the county of Portage and State of Ohio', have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Forming Ball-Shaped or Spherical Bodies; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for forming ball-shaped orspherical bodies, and especially well adapted for forming marbles from chunks or pieces of argillaceous or other material having sufficient plasticity or theconsistency required to render them capable of being manipulated and formed into the shape of balls or spheres.

The primary object of this invention is to construct a machine of the character indicated which is exceedingly simple in construction and reliable in its operation, which has a large capacity, which does its work with great facility or rapidity, and which is capable of forming various sizes of balls or spheres.

With this object in view and to the end of realizing other advantages hereinafter appearing the invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims. Y

In the accompanyingr drawings, Figure I is a side elevation,in central vertical section, of a machine embodying my invention. Figs. II and III are vertical sections on line II II and line III IH, respectively, Fig. I, looking inwardly. Fig. IVis aviewin perspective of a chunk or piece of plastic material, which piece constitutes a blank upon which my improved machine is adapted to operate. Fig. V illustrates a ball or sphere resulting from the operation of my improved machine upon the blank shown in Fig. IV.

Referring to the drawings, ct designates a rotary upwardly and downwardly extending cylinder arranged in an inclined plane and operatively mounted in any approved manner upon a horizontallyarranged or approximately horizontally arranged shaft b, which may be supported in any approved manner and is provided with a driving-pulley c. The

cylindrical shell d of the cylindera has each end thereof cut, preferably vertically or approximately so, and provided with a ange a2, formed externally of the said shell and extending circumferentially of the said shell in a vertical plane. The cylinder'ofl is provided at each end with a head e, which is riveted or otherwise rigidly secured to the adjacent flange @zand has a centrally-located opening c' for receiving the plastic blanks which are to be formed into balls or spheres within the cylinder. The heads c close the ends of ythe outer circumferential portion of the chamber of the shell d and form, therefore, internal rims for the ends of the cylinder. Each head e is provided upon its outer side with a crossbar f, which is arranged radially and centrally of the said head and is rigidly secured to the head. in any approved manner. cross-bars f of the two cylinder-heads are preferably parallel and are provided with registering and corresponding holes f, through which the shaft b, upon which the cylinder is mounted, extends. Operative connection between the cylinder and the shaft is established by the well-known means of groove and feather, as at g, or in any other approved manner. Each cross-bar f is preferably provided with another shaft-receiving hole f2, located a short distance longitudinally of the said bar from the hole f' of the bar. The holes f2 and fgY of the two bars fare formed at opposite sides, respectively, of the shaft-line extending through the holes f and register, so that the cylinder' is placeable at more than one angle relative tothe shaft, being arranged at a greater or less-angle to the shaft, according as it is mounted upon the shaft at the holes f or at the holes f2.

The driving-pulley o of the machine is shown operatively connected by a belt c with a pulley d of a counter-shaft d.

The blank which is to be operated upon may be cylindrical or almost a cube, as shown in Fig. IV. The exact form of the blank is immaterial. A finishedv ball or sphere capable of being formed by my improved machine is shown in Fig. V. y

The operation of my improved machine will be readily understood. The blanks in a suitably plastic state are introduced into the cylinder a at the opening e' in one or both rim- The IOO

forming headse of the cylinder, whereupon the cylinder is rotated. A speed of about twenty-five rotations per minute has been found very practical. The blanks operated upon are held against the internal peripheral surface of the cylinder by centrifugal force. The blanks move twice from end to end and longitudinally of the cylinder in opposite directions alternately during each rotation of the cylinder, because each end of the cylinder is alternately the lowest and highest portion of the inclined cylinder during the rotation of the cylinder. Thousands of blanks may be operated upon at one and the same time if the cylinder is large enough. The blanks being operated upon roll during the rotation of the cylinder in every conceivable direction, are fairly well formed in a few minutes, and perfect balls or spheres can be formed in half an houl or less, according to the speed at which the cylinder is rotated. The material com posing the blanks operated upon is also rendered somewhat more dense during the operation upon the blanks. The sizes of the blanks to be operated upon is immaterial, because the balls or spheres formed within the cylinder can be readily assorted as to size. Obviously large balls or spheres for ornam en tal,architectural,or other purposes or marble-forming smallv balls or spheres can all be formed by my improved machine.

The shell a' of the cylinder a, is provided at one end and preferably in close proximity to the head e of the said end with a lateral aperture a3, at which the balls or 'spheres formedl within the cylinder are discharged from the cylinder. The aperture a3 is normally closed by a door h, which is suitably hinged, as at h', to the shell a, and upon its outer side is providcd,as shown in Figs. I and II, with an ordinary spring-bolt lt, normally in its operative position, wherein it engages a hole at, formed in the adjacent flange a2, and is retained in the said position by its suitably-applied spring Z. (See Fig. I.) By actuating the bolt it against the action of the spring Z out of engagement with the hole a4 when the door-carrying portion of the shell c' is in position constituting the lower portion or bottom of the cylinder the door h opens by gravity to accommodate the escape of the finished balls or spheres from Within the cylinder. I would remark also that the openings e in the rim-forming heads of the cylinder accommodate the passage of air through and thereby ventilate the cylinder.

lVhat lI claim is- 1. A machine for forming ball-shaped or spherical bodies, comprising an upwardly and downwardly extending inclined cylinder having heads cut away centrally to form holes for receiving bodies or blanks to be operated upon, and two cross-bars arranged centrally and radially of and rigid with the different heads, respectively, and the cylinder being rotatably supported at the said cross-bars and having its axial line arranged horizontally or approximately horizontally, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A machine for forming ball-shaped or spherical bodies, comprising an upwardly and downwardly extending inclined cylinder provided, at the ends, with heads cut away centrally to form holes for receiving bodies or blanks lo be operated upon, cross-bars extending across the saidholes and rigid with the heads, means for rotating the cylinder comprising a horizontally arranged or approximately horizontally arranged shaft extending through the cylinder and through the aforesaid bars, means establishing operative connection between the said cross-bars and the shaft, and means for rotating the shaft, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A machine for forming ball-shaped or spherical bodies, comprising a horizontallyarranged or approximately horizontally arranged shaft and an upwardly and downwardly extending inclined cylindrical shell operatively mounted upon the shaft and provided, at the ends, with internal rims extending circumferentially of the cylinder around the shaft, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. A machine for forming ball-shaped or spherical bodies, comprising an upwardly and downwardly extending inclined cylinder having heads cutaway centrally to form holes for receiving blanks or bodies to be operated upon, and two cross-bars arranged centrally and radially of and rigidly secured to ythe ou ter side of the different heads, respectively, means for rotating the cylinder and comprising a horizontally-arranged or approximately horizontally arranged shaft extending through the cylinder and through the aforesaid bars; means establishing operative connection between the said cross-bars and the shaft, and means for rotating the shaft, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

Signed by me at Ravenna, Ohio, this 4th day of May, 1901.

SOLOMON SMITH.

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